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OFFICE NEWS……. Well here we are, back from Holiday Break. Man that sure did go by fast!! With that being said, we have all managed to get right back in to the swing of things here at Alward. It has been quite a low key week….. just the way we like them! : ) Things are looking pretty quiet on the Alward calendar for the next couple of months, so sit back, relax and enjoy the down time. Before we know it the craziness will start up again!

KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP……… The date has been set for Kindergarten Registration for the upcoming 17/18 school year. The Registration meeting will be held on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 @ 7pm at Alward. There will be 10am session as well at South Elementary for those who are not able to make it to the evening session. REMEMBER….. your child MUSTturn 5 by DECEMBER 1, 2017 to register them for PK OR Kindergarten. PLEASE NOTE….. If your child turns FIVE between SEPTEMBER 2 and DECEMBER 1 you MUST fill out the Kindergarten Waiver Request that is in the Registration packet.

PK/Kindergarten Registration packets are available in the office. In order for the registration packets to be turned back in you must have all of the information needed. The items that are required are listed on the front cover letter of the Registration packet.

SCHOOL MESSENGER EMAILS…… Parents if you feel like you have been missing some important emails from Alward….. please check your SPAM!!! It seems as though the past few emails I have sent from the office through School Messenger some people have not been receiving. Once I spoke with a few parents and staff we discovered they were going to their SPAM! I have checked with our Technology Dept and there is not anything they can do on their end to resolve this. Technology has received complaints from other schools as well that this has been happening. The only thing they can think of is that individual email’s have changed their securities have become more strict. So….. if you check your SPAM and this is where you find these emails you will need to mark them as “NOT SPAM” in order for them to be delivered to your “inbox”. Technology also mentioned that you may need to do this a couple of times for it to take affect. So keep checking : )

SNOW DAY PROCEDURE FOR HOT LUNCH ~ With snow days a possibility now, the food service program would like to remind parents and students about what will happen if school is closed due to weather. If the district is closed, the menu that was supposed to be served on the snow day will be moved to the next school day. An example: if school is canceled on Tuesday due to weather, Tuesday’s menu will be served on Wednesdayand the menu that was scheduled for Wednesday will be completely canceled. Because of our computer lunch account system, there will be no need to issue credits and your student will still be able to order a lunch if they need one. The only exception to this policy is if school is canceled on Friday. In this case, Friday’s menu will be completely canceled and we will continue with the regular menu on Monday. Information on what menu will be served on the day you return will be available on Twitter or the foodservice web page at www.jenhudfood.org. Please feel free to contact the food service department at 457-2400 if you have any questions or are unsure of what the menu will be. Thank you! ~ Stacey L. Wykoski, Food Service Director

HUDSONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS – PARENT INFORMATION/REGISTRATION NIGHT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR…… TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017at the Early Childhood Center from 6:00-8:00pm. The Early Childhood Center is located at 5535 School Ave (main entrance off Madison Ave.). Programs include 3 and 4 year old Preschool, Young Fives, Before/After School Care AND Summer Care.

**This is a chance to gather information about the programs, meet staff and visit the preschool classrooms. There is no formal presentation; feel free to come anytime between 6:00-8:00pm. Children are welcome and activities will be provided. Registration forms accepted that evening with at $40.00 registration fee per child. For more information, please call the Early Childhood office at 616-797-0842, ext 1.

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

PTC NEWS….. BOX TOP NEWS……PLEASEread the following attachment to help earn Alward a chance to win 50,000 Bonus Box Tops!! Box Tops for Education is partnering with Walmart for this incentive program. This program will run through MARCH 1, 2017. BoxTopINFO

ALWARD SCHOOL CARNIVAL……… A very important note to all……. if you plan this far ahead…… the date for the Spring Carnival has been changed!! It will be on SATURDAY, MARCH 18!! So since we are discussing the Spring Carnival….. the Carnival Committee are still in need of help for this year’s Carnival. We CANNOT make this happen with out a HUGE amount of volunteer help. This is what is still needed for THIS year… Chairperson for Ticket Sales, Co-Chairs (2 people)for Games and ONE person to Co-Chair the Class Baskets. Please email or call Laurie Elgersma or Jessica Dugauy and VOLUNTEER TODAY!!! Laurie: SisLKB@aol.com or 662-3820 or Jess at jras83@aol.com or 318-2775.

NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR CARNIVAL…… (but need to shadow in this year’s Carnival!) In ADDITION WE NEED two people to shadow Julie Snider this year with the plan on Co-Chairing the Spring Carnival in 2018….these people would be responsible for scheduling volunteers and coordinating the carnival sub committees. REMEMBER, carnival has A LOT of Chairs! Thus, these two people need to OVERSEE the operations. Many hands make light work……are YOU willing to CO-Chair Carnival? We don’t want this to be the last carnival so PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!! In order to understand what Julie Snider does we need the volunteers NOW!!! PLEASE!!!!

KIDS AND FAMILY EXPO…….Saturday, January 21 from 10am-5pm at DeVos Place. Please read the following 2 attachments with all of the details. Sounds like a good time! : ) KidsFamilyExpoKidsFamilyExpo-2

4TH GRADE GIRL SCOUTS………Join Girl Scouts! Girl Scout Troop 4259 is accepting registrations for 4th grade girls looking to make new friends, go on fun trips, learn new exciting things and make a difference in our community. Our troop meets two Thursday evenings per month. If you think Girl Scouts is right for your daughter, please email brazellew@gmail.com or caseyclendening@yahoo.com for more information.

S.O.A.R.. II (STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES TO ACHIEVE RESULTS)……. Upcoming Survey……. For the past three years, we have been working on accomplishing our district’s long-range planning goals outlined in S.O.A.R. II (Strategic Objectives to Achieve Results). Teams of teachers, administrators and support staff have been focused on specific goals in the areas of Human Services, Operations, and Teaching and Learning. S.O.A.R. II points of pride include, but are not limited to, the development and phased implementation of an elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) special, saving millions of taxpayer dollars by renovating a former elementary school, renovating all buildings’ front office areas to provide an extra level of security, and expanding community education offerings. A complete report of the many accomplishments can be found on our district’s website.

To continue our great tradition of excellence at Hudsonville Public Schools and to elevate our successes, we are asking for your help in the development of our next strategic plan: S.O.A.R. III. We have completed the first phase of development (Focus Groups) and are very thankful for the wealth of information we received. Our website contains a summary of findings based on this phase.

We are now entering the second phase in the research; a Randomized Needs Assessment Survey. If you receive an invitation to participate, PLEASE consider taking part in helping us set the direction for the next three years.

Later in February, we will open the survey to parents and community members who were not part of the random selection process. We will email the link to the survey when it becomes available.

OFFICE NEWS……. Wow….. is all I can say! What a crazy week and a half it has been since our last Alward Action! I am not sure we have ever had as many days of inside recess due to the cold! It was hard on everyone! The kids just feel if there is snow they should be able to be outside and play in it! Darn the luck! Thankfully the last couple of days they were able to get outside and play. Holiday parties went off without a hitch and thanks goes to the PTC for organizing these and providing the volunteers who sign parents in and out for these. : ) Miss Doni really appreciates their help with this! We hope you all enjoy the little break we have coming and take time to spend with your kids and families!! Enjoy the season and cherish all of the memories to be made. : )

EAGLE’S LANDING GIFT BASKET RAFFLE……. Every year the High School Students from the Eagle’s Landing store organize and provide a gift basket for everyschool in the district!! It is simply amazing what these students pull off every year!! Here at Alward we do a raffle drawing and draw one lucky student and their family as the big winners. It is such a fun thing to do and incredibly exciting! Mrs. Moore always takes the gift basket (actually a sled packed full of gifts) in to the lunchroom the day prior to the raffle to show the students what will be raffled. It is so fun to see and here their excitement. Once the family has been drawn we contact the parent/s and ask them to come for the presentation. We were able to pull this off as a huge surprise this week on Tuesday morning! Mrs. Moore made the exciting announcement over the intercom and called the student to the crossroads to make the presentation. All the classrooms get to come out in the hall to see and we were very fortunate to have a bunch of the students who work at Eagle’s Landing here as well!! It was sooooo cool!! Our winning student this year was…….. JEROME SMITH!! Woot ~ Woot! Merry Christmas to Jerome and his family!!!

SCHOOL MESSENGER EMAILS…… Parents if you feel like you have been missing some important emails from Alward….. please check your SPAM!!! It seems as though the past few emails I have sent from the office through School Messenger some people have not been receiving. Once I spoke with a few parents and staff we discovered they were going to their SPAM! I have checked with our Technology Dept and there is not anything they can do on their end to resolve this. Technology has received complaints from other schools as well that this has been happening. The only thing they can think of is that individual email’s have changed their securities have become more strict. So….. if you check your SPAM and this is where you find these emails you will need to mark them as “NOT SPAM” in order for them to be delivered to your “inbox”. Technology also mentioned that you may need to do this a couple of times for it to take affect. So keep checking : )

KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP……… The date has been set for Kindergarten Registration for the upcoming 17/18 school year. The Registration meeting will be held on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 @ 7pm at Alward. There will be 10am session as well at South Elementary for those who are not able to make it to the evening session. REMEMBER….. your child MUSTturn 5 by DECEMBER 1, 2017 to register them for PK OR Kindergarten. PLEASE NOTE….. If your child turns FIVE between SEPTEMBER 2 and DECEMBER 1 you MUST fill out the Kindergarten Waiver Request that is in the Registration packet.

PK/Kindergarten Registration packets will be available in the office for pick up starting on Tuesday, January 3. In order for the registration packets to be turned back in you must have all of the information needed. The items that are required are listed on the front cover letter of the Registration packet.

SNOW DAY PROCEDURE FOR HOT LUNCH ~ With snow just around the corner, the food service program would like to remind parents and students about what will happen if school is closed due to weather. If the district is closed, the menu that was supposed to be served on the snow day will be moved to the next school day. An example: if school is canceled on Tuesday due to weather, Tuesday’s menu will be served on Wednesdayand the menu that was scheduled for Wednesday will be completely canceled. Because of our computer lunch account system, there will be no need to issue credits and your student will still be able to order a lunch if they need one. The only exception to this policy is if school is canceled on Friday. In this case, Friday’s menu will be completely canceled and we will continue with the regular menu on Monday. Information on what menu will be served on the day you return will be available on Twitter or the foodservice web page at www.jenhudfood.org. Please feel free to contact the food service department at 457-2400 if you have any questions or are unsure of what the menu will be. Thank you! ~ Stacey L. Wykoski, Food Service Director

HUDSONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS – PARENT INFORMATION/REGISTRATION NIGHT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR…… TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017at the Early Childhood Center from 6:00-8:00pm. The Early Childhood Center is located at 5535 School Ave (main entrance off Madison Ave.). Programs include 3 and 4 year old Preschool, Young Fives, Before/After School Care AND Summer Care.

**This is a chance to gather information about the programs, meet staff and visit the preschool classrooms. There is no formal presentation; feel free to come anytime between 6:00-8:00pm. Children are welcome and activities will be provided. Registration forms accepted that evening with at $40.00 registration fee per child. For more information, please call the Early Childhood office at 616-797-0842, ext 1.

GIFTS OF APPRECIATION…….A great way to recognize your Hudsonville Staff. Please read the attachment included that explains a great way to appreciate those at the Holiday Season. : ) gifts-of-appr-dec-2016

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

PTC NEWS…..

ALWARD SCHOOL CARNIVAL……… A very important note to all……. if you plan this far ahead…… the date for the Spring Carnival has been changed!! It will be on SATURDAY, MARCH 18!! So since we are discussing the Spring Carnival….. the Carnival Committee are still in need of help for this year’s Carnival. We CANNOT make this happen with out a HUGE amount of volunteer help. This is what is still needed for THIS year… Chairperson for Ticket Sales, Co-Chairs (2 people)for Games and ONE person to Co-Chair the Class Baskets. Please email or call Laurie Elgersma or Jessica Dugauy and VOLUNTEER TODAY!!! Laurie: SisLKB@aol.com or 662-3820 or Jess at jras83@aol.com or 318-2775.

NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR CARNIVAL…… (but need to shadow in this year’s Carnival!) In ADDITION WE NEED two people to shadow Julie Snider this year with the plan on Co-Chairing the Spring Carnival in 2018….these people would be responsible for scheduling volunteers and coordinating the carnival sub committees. REMEMBER, carnival has A LOT of Chairs! Thus, these two people need to OVERSEE the operations. Many hands make light work……are YOU willing to CO-Chair Carnival? We don’t want this to be the last carnival so PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!! In order to understand what Julie Snider does we need the volunteers NOW!!! PLEASE!!!!

COMMUNITY NEWS………. JOIN THE FUN AT BIBLE CLUB…….Enjoy a Bible story, songs, prizes and more! Bible Club Ministries of Western Michigan offers a free after school Bible Club to elementary students. Clubs are held once a week after school (except for Park Elementary *See below) Enrollment forms are available outside of the office or you may contact Bible Club at (616) 457-3840or bcmintwm@sbcglobal.net. BCM’s website is bcmwm.org. Here is the day/time and location for Bible Club at Alward……. Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45in Mr. Karel’s room beginning Oct. 11; grades 1-5. You may join at any time……. here is a permission slip as well…… bibleclub

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… BOYS 3RD-6TH GRADE BASKETBALL LEAGUE…….The Boys 3rd-6th Grade basketball deadline is fast approaching! Sign up by January 4 to guarantee your child a spot on a team. Practices begin the week of January 9. Games will be on Saturdays starting on January 14. Cost is $90. For more information and/or to register, visit hudsonvillepublicschools.org and click the Community Education link. Please call Rebecca if you have any questions at 669-1740.

OFFICE NEWS……. Well I believe we can actually say Winter has decided to arrive. It has been a blustery couple of days! With the arrival of cold weather we are sending out our friendly reminder from the office : ) PLEASE REMEMBER to send your students to school with boots, snow pants, hats and gloves/mittens. Even if there is NO snow, we want the students to have their BOOTS!! It is still COLD and our playground gets pretty messy now that we have had some snow and this keeps the mess from the classrooms as well. Thank you for helping us with this! : )

We are hoping you enjoyed the Holiday program this past Tuesday! Miss Baker does an amazing job with this, she puts her heart and soul into this program, so if you see her here in the halls at Alward please tell her how much she is appreciated!! The DVD’s were ordered this afternoon and I expect they will be delivered the middle of next week and should be sent home with the students by Friday.

Holiday parties will be held on Wednesday, December 21. Party times vary by grade/teacher. Please check the individual teacher blog’s to determine the time of your student’s party. We will be doing the sign in/out by the office as we have in the past. Please remember that party days are very busy and congested so we ask that you make arrangements for younger siblings. Thank you : )

KINDERGARTEN ROUND UP……… I cannot even believe I just typed that!! Holy toledo! The date has been set for Kindergarten Round UP for the upcoming 17/18 school year. Round Up will be held on THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 @ 7pm at Alward. There will be 10am session as well at South Elementary for those who are not able to make it to the evening session. REMEMBER….. your child MUSTturn 5 by DECEMBER 1, 2017 to register them for PK OR Kindergarten.

SNOW DAY PROCEDURE FOR HOT LUNCH ~ With snow just around the corner, the food service program would like to remind parents and students about what will happen if school is closed due to weather. If the district is closed, the menu that was supposed to be served on the snow day will be moved to the next school day. An example: if school is canceled on Tuesday due to weather, Tuesday’s menu will be served on Wednesdayand the menu that was scheduled for Wednesday will be completely canceled. Because of our computer lunch account system, there will be no need to issue credits and your student will still be able to order a lunch if they need one. The only exception to this policy is if school is canceled on Friday. In this case, Friday’s menu will be completely canceled and we will continue with the regular menu on Monday. Information on what menu will be served on the day you return will be available on Twitter or the foodservice web page at www.jenhudfood.org. Please feel free to contact the food service department at 457-2400 if you have any questions or are unsure of what the menu will be. Thank you! ~ Stacey L. Wykoski, Food Service Director

HUDSONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS – PARENT INFORMATION/REGISTRATION NIGHT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR…… TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017at the Early Childhood Center from 6:00-8:00pm. The Early Childhood Center is located at 5535 School Ave (main entrance off Madison Ave.). Programs include 3 and 4 year old Preschool, Young Fives, Before/After School Care AND Summer Care.

**This is a chance to gather information about the programs, meet staff and visit the preschool classrooms. There is no formal presentation; feel free to come anytime between 6:00-8:00pm. Children are welcome and activities will be provided. Registration forms accepted that evening with at $40.00 registration fee per child. For more information, please call the Early Childhood office at 616-797-0842, ext 1.

GIFTS OF APPRECIATION…….A great way to recognize your Hudsonville Staff. Please read the attachment included that explains a great way to appreciate those at the Holiday Season. : ) gifts-of-appr-dec-2016

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

LIBRARY NEWS……… READING COUNTS……. Reading Counts is a program that all of our 3nd-5thgrade students are encouraged to participate in. The 3rd-5th grade students have been hard at work taking quizzes! The program runs from September to May. In May, we have a celebration for the students that reached their goal.

STUDENT GOALS:

3RD GRADE – 60 POINTS

4TH GRADE – 75 POINTS

5TH GRADE – 100 POINTS

The way the RC program works is that a student reads a book in their reading level, takes a quiz about the book on a computer. They can only take quizzes on computers or iPads at school. If the student answers at least 8/10 questions correct (80%), they earn points. Students are encouraged to check out at least one Reading Counts book each week. It is recommended that a student take the quiz within 24 hours of completion of the book, when possible. If a child gets less than 8 correct, they may retake the quiz after 24 hours. If you would like to find out if the books your child has at hame have a RC quiz for them or not, you can go to this website:

PTC NEWS….. SECRET SANTA SHOP….. another year is in the books for our Secret Santa Shop. Thanks to all who volunteered to help make this a fun event for our Alward Students!!! : )

ALWARD SCHOOL CARNIVAL……… A very important note to all……. if you plan this far ahead…… the date for the Spring Carnival has been changed!! It will be on SATURDAY, MARCH 18!! So since we are discussing the Spring Carnival….. the Carnival Committee are still in need of help for this year’s Carnival. We CANNOT make this happen with out a HUGE amount of volunteer help. This is what is still needed for THIS year… Chairperson for Ticket Sales, Co-Chairs (2 people)for Games and ONE person to Co-Chair the Class Baskets. Please email or call Laurie Elgersma or Jessica Dugauy and VOLUNTEER TODAY!!! Laurie: SisLKB@aol.com or 662-3820 or Jess at jras83@aol.com or 318-2775.

NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR CARNIVAL…… (but need to shadow in this year’s Carnival!) In ADDITION WE NEED two people to shadow Julie Snider this year with the plan on Co-Chairing the Spring Carnival in 2018….these people would be responsible for scheduling volunteers and coordinating the carnival sub committees. REMEMBER, carnival has A LOT of Chairs! Thus, these two people need to OVERSEE the operations. Many hands make light work……are YOU willing to CO-Chair Carnival? We don’t want this to be the last carnival so PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!! In order to understand what Julie Snider does we need the volunteers NOW!!! PLEASE!!!!

COMMUNITY NEWS………. JOIN THE FUN AT BIBLE CLUB…….Enjoy a Bible story, songs, prizes and more! Bible Club Ministries of Western Michigan offers a free after school Bible Club to elementary students. Clubs are held once a week after school (except for Park Elementary *See below) Enrollment forms are available outside of the office or you may contact Bible Club at (616) 457-3840or bcmintwm@sbcglobal.net. BCM’s website is bcmwm.org. Here is the day/time and location for Bible Club at Alward……. Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45in Mr. Karel’s room beginning Oct. 11; grades 1-5. You may join at any time……. here is a permission slip as well…… bibleclub

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered…. BOYS BASKETBALL LEAUGE (GR 3-6)…. JR EAGLES BASKETBALL (GR K-2)….WRESTLING CLUB (GR K-8)…… TAE KWON DO…… LEGO ENGINEERING CLASSES (GR 1-5)….. MINECRAFT ‘MODIFICATION’ BOOTCAMP……. VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT BOOTCAMP……. HEAT/SWIM/FITNESS INFO.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

12/16 ~ Popcorn Friday

12/21 ~ Holiday Parties

12/22-1/2 ~ Holiday Break……. NO SCHOOL

1/3 ~ First day back to school

1/13 ~ EARLY RELEASE @ 12:15pm

1/17 ~ PTC Mtg @ 7pm

1/17 ~ Jet’s Pizza Night

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg : )

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OFFICE NEWS……. Holy Toledo…… that is all I have right now!!!I cannot believe it is Thanksgiving already!! My apologies for the delay in getting the Alward Action out, I was just a bit under the weather last week and a few things just had to wait. There is a lot of new information in this Alward Action so make sure to read through and take it all in! : )

Our 3rd graders had an amazing Thanksgiving Feast today and we had a few movie/pajama celebrations so I think everyone left today ready for the holiday weekend. We hope everyone enjoys being with their family and friends and the extra time off. Brace yourselves for the return to the schedules and craziness on Monday, because before we know it that next big holiday will be here. Make sure to get the Holiday Program on your calendars for Tuesday, December 6. Hold on tight…… 2017 is creeping right up on us!!

SNOW DAY PROCEDURE FOR HOT LUNCH ~ With snow just around the corner, the food service program would like to remind parents and students about what will happen if school is closed due to weather. If the district is closed, the menu that was supposed to be served on the snow day will be moved to the next school day. An example: if school is canceled on Tuesday due to weather, Tuesday’s menu will be served on Wednesday and the menu that was scheduled for Wednesday will be completely canceled. Because of our computer lunch account system, there will be no need to issue credits and your student will still be able to order a lunch if they need one. The only exception to this policy is if school is canceled on Friday. In this case, Friday’s menu will be completely canceled and we will continue with the regular menu on Monday. Information on what menu will be served on the day you return will be available on Twitter or the foodservice web page at www.jenhudfood.org. Please feel free to contact the food service department at 457-2400 if you have any questions or are unsure of what the menu will be. Thank you! ~ Stacey L. Wykoski, Food Service Director

ELEMENTARY SKI AND SNOWBOARD CLUB……… The Hudsonville Ski and Board Club would like to invite students, siblings and parents of HPS Elementary Schools to purchase discount ski club cards to Bittersweet Ski Resort in Otsego. These cards allow discounted rates on lift tickets and rentals. Monday is the official HPS club day, and we invite you to bring the family to Bittersweet for some fun with other HPS families. Discount prices are also good everyday of the week after 3:30pm. Pick up information in the office. Registration due December 9.

HUDSONVILLE EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAMS – PARENT INFORMATION/REGISTRATION NIGHT FOR THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR…… TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017at the Early Childhood Center from 6:00-8:00pm. The Early Childhood Center is located at 5535 School Ave (main entrance off Madison Ave.). Programs include 3 and 4 year old Preschool, Young Fives, Before/After School Care AND Summer Care.

**This is a chance to gather information about the programs, meet staff and visit the preschool classrooms. There is no formal presentation; feel free to come anytime between 6:00-8:00pm. Children are welcome and activities will be provided. Registration forms accepted that evening with at $40.00 registration fee per child. For more information, please call the Early Childhood office at 616-797-0842, ext 1.

GIFTS OF APPRECIATION…….A great way to recognize your Hudsonville Staff. Please read the attachment included that explains a great way to appreciate those at the Holiday Season. : ) gifts-of-appr-dec-2016

GIRLS ON THE RUN……. REGISTRATION ENDS NEXT WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30!!!! Time to sign up for Girls on the Run!! This is an amazing program for girls in grades 3-5. Alward had been fortunate enough to participate in this program for few years now. Please read the attached flyer with all of the details. NOTE… Registration opens NOVEMBER 1st and closes on NOVEMBER 30. If you have a daughter in grades 3-5 they will also be bringing information home. gotr-2017-info-flyer

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

LIBRARY NEWS……… READING COUNTS……. Reading Counts is a program that all of our 3nd-5th grade students are encouraged to participate in. The 3rd-5th grade students have been hard at work taking quizzes! The program runs from September to May. In May, we have a celebration for the students that reached their goal.

STUDENT GOALS:

3RD GRADE – 60 POINTS

4TH GRADE – 75 POINTS

5TH GRADE – 100 POINTS

The way the RC program works is that a student reads a book in their reading level, takes a quiz about the book on a computer. They can only take quizzes on computers or iPads at school. If the student answers at least 8/10 questions correct (80%), they earn points. Students are encouraged to check out at least one Reading Counts book each week. It is recommended that a student take the quiz within 24 hours of completion of the book, when possible. If a child gets less than 8 correct, they may retake the quiz after 24 hours. If you would like to find out if the books your child has at hame have a RC quiz for them or not, you can go to this website:

P.E. NEWS……. P.E. C.A.R.E.S………The Alward Elementary PE CARES Food Drive brought in a whopping total of 4226 items. WOW!!! The students exceeded their goal by over 100 items! Our Alward family is beyond generous!! With the Food Drive and All For Books donations the past couple of weeks, it just makes my heart smile to know how giving our students and families are!!! : ) All the students received a free bowling coupon and the two winning teams that get to go bowling with Miss Stokes were Mrs. Flietstra’s and Miss Baker’s teams!!

PTC NEWS….. ALL FOR BOOKS…. WOW!! Our families and students ROCK at Alward. We are very excited to tell all of you that as a school we raised a total of $1140.17 during our coin war for “All For Books”. So we were able to donate $1140 worth of books to children that are not as fortunate as some AND Scholastic matched it for Alward and we were able to have $1140 to spend on new books for our students! It is a win-win : ) The classroom with the largest donation was Mrs. Bouwens, 5th grade, and they were able to spend $223 on new books for their classroom library! Way to go!

ALWARD SCHOOL CARNIVAL……… A very important note to all……. if you plan this far ahead…… the date for the Spring Carnival has been changed!! It will be on SATURDAY, MARCH 18!! So since we are discussing the Spring Carnival….. the Carnival Committee are still in need of help for this year’s Carnival. We CANNOT make this happen with out a HUGE amount of volunteer help. This is what is still needed for THIS year… Chairperson for Ticket Sales, Co-Chairs (2 people)for Games and ONE person to Co-Chair the Class Baskets. Please email or call Laurie Elgersma or Jessica Dugauy and VOLUNTEER TODAY!!! Laurie: SisLKB@aol.com or 662-3820 or Jess at jras83@aol.com or 318-2775.

NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR CARNIVAL…… (but need to shadow in this year’s Carnival!) In ADDITION WE NEED two people to shadow Julie Snider this year with the plan on Co-Chairing the Spring Carnival in 2018….these people would be responsible for scheduling volunteers and coordinating the carnival sub committees. REMEMBER, carnival has A LOT of Chairs! Thus, these two people need to OVERSEE the operations. Many hands make light work……are YOU willing to CO-Chair Carnival? We don’t want this to be the last carnival so PLEASE VOLUNTEER!!! NOW IS THE TIME!!!! In order to understand what Julie Snider does we need the volunteers NOW!!! PLEASE!!!!

Purchase Tickets at www.MichiganBallet.org. 2 & under Free | 2-12 $12 | 13 and up $18. Character Tea $10/$15. Hudsonville School Students purchase Student Tickets for only $10 each ~ Use code HPS10

Friday, December 2 at 7:30 pm

Saturday, December 3 at 2:30 pm & 7:30 pm

Sunday, December 4 at 2:30 pm

Special Character Tea, Sunday at 1:00 pm

JOIN THE FUN AT BIBLE CLUB…….Enjoy a Bible story, songs, prizes and more! Bible Club Ministries of Western Michigan offers a free after school Bible Club to elementary students. Clubs are held once a week after school (except for Park Elementary *See below) Enrollment forms are available outside of the office or you may contact Bible Club at (616) 457-3840or bcmintwm@sbcglobal.net. BCM’s website is bcmwm.org. Here is the day/time and location for Bible Club at Alward……. Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45 in Mr. Karel’s room beginning Oct. 11; grades 1-5. You may join at any time……. here is a permission slip as well…… bibleclub

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered…. BOYS BASKETBALL LEAUGE (GR 3-6)…. JR EAGLES BASKETBALL (GR K-2)….WRESTLING CLUB (GR K-8)…… TAE KWON DO…… LEGO ENGINEERING CLASSES (GR 1-5)….. MINECRAFT ‘MODIFICATION’ BOOTCAMP……. VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT BOOTCAMP……. HEAT/SWIM/FITNESS INFO.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

11/23-25 ~ THANKSGIVING BREAK

12/2 ~ EARLY RELEASE @ 12:15pm

12/6 ~ Holiday Program K-2 @ 6:30/3-5 @ 7:30

12/6-12/8 ~ Secret Santa Shop

12/16 ~ Popcorn Friday

12/21 ~ Holiday Parties

12/22-1/2 ~ Holiday Break……. NO SCHOOL

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg

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OFFICE NEWS……. I cannot even believe I am going to type this……. but it is already Parent/Teacher Conference time and Fall Book Fair time! Where does the fall go?? Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held next week, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Please make to double check your calendar and we hope to see all of you here. : ) When you are in the building it is a great time for parents to check out our Book Fair in the library AND to bring in lots of non-perishable food for our PE CARES service project!!

GIRLS ON THE RUN……. Believe it or not, it is that time again. Time to sign up for Girls on the Run!! This is an amazing program for girls in grades 3-5. Alward had been fortunate enough to participate in this program for few years now. Please read the attached flyer with all of the details. NOTE… Registration opens NOVEMBER 1st and closes on NOVEMBER 30. If you have a daughter in grades 3-5 they will also be bringing information home. gotr-2017-info-flyer

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

READING COUNTS……. Reading Counts is a program that all of our 3nd-5th grade students are encouraged to participate in. The 3rd-5th grade students have been hard at work taking quizzes! The program runs from September to May. In May, we have a celebration for the students that reached their goal.

STUDENT GOALS:

3RD GRADE – 60 POINTS

4TH GRADE – 75 POINTS

5TH GRADE – 100 POINTS

The way the RC program works is that a student reads a book in their reading level, takes a quiz about the book on a computer. They can only take quizzes on computers or iPads at school. If the student answers at least 8/10 questions correct (80%), they earn points. Students are encouraged to check out at least one Reading Counts book each week. It is recommended that a student take the quiz within 24 hours of completion of the book, when possible. If a child gets less than 8 correct, they may retake the quiz after 24 hours. If you would like to find out if the books your child has at hame have a RC quiz for them or not, you can go to this website:

P.E. NEWS……. P.E. C.A.R.E.S………The Alward Elementary PE CARES Food Drive will take place from November 2 – 21. We are collecting canned, boxed or bagged food items that have not exceeded their expiration date. Students should bring the items to school in the morning and take them to their Alward Team Bin in the hallway near the gym. We will count the bins daily. The top 2 teams that bring in the most items will go bowling with Ms. Stokes.If the school brings in a total of 4119 or more food items by November 21, each child will get a coupon for free bowling at Hudsonville Lanes. Donations begin Wednesday, November 2.

PTC NEWS…..

BOOKANEER FALL BOOK FAIR…….is next week, NOVEMBER 7-11! The Book Fair will be open on Monday/Wednesday, 11/7 and 11/9 from 5:30p to 7:45p during Parent/Teacher Conferences. We will keep you posted as to who won the change war for providing books for those children less fortunate. Our Book Fair Chairperson thinks our students brought in more change than ever before!! Way to go Alward students!!

JET’S PIZZA NIGHT WINNER….. was 5th Grade…… Miss Burmeister! Way to go 5th graders. They will be enjoying a pizza lunch soon!

BOX TOP WINNERS….. Thank you teachers, parents and students for your participation with the Box Top program. We would like to congratulate all of the students on turning in 8,338 box tops. This is quite an accomplishment! We are happy to announce Mrs. Hawk’s fourth grade class as the winning class. They collected 1,090 box tops. They will be treated to cider and donuts for a job well done!

COMMUNITY NEWS………. GIRL SCOUTS……

Girl Scouts is looking to form a new troops in Hudsonville Public Schools! We are looking for parents to volunteer as troop leaders in order to form new troops and get girls involved. Girl Scouts offers unique opportunities for girls to learn new leadership, teambuilding, and other fun skills. Please join us at Jamestown Upper Elementary for an informational meeting on Monday November 7th at 6pm to learn more about volunteering with Girl Scouts as well as how to get your daughter involved. For more information, Katie Perschbacher at kperschbacher@gsmists.org *Cost to Join: $20.00 for Girls, $15.00 for Adults

JOIN THE FUN AT BIBLE CLUB…….Enjoy a Bible story, songs, prizes and more! Bible Club Ministries of Western Michigan offers a free after school Bible Club to elementary students. Clubs are held once a week after school (except for Park Elementary *See below) Enrollment forms are available outside of the office or you may contact Bible Club at (616) 457-3840 or bcmintwm@sbcglobal.net. BCM’s website is bcmwm.org. Here is the day/time and location for Bible Club at Alward……. Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45 in Mr. Karel’s room beginning Oct. 11; grades 1-5. You may join at any time……. here is a permission slip as well…… bibleclub

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered….SWIM/FITNESS….. BOYS WRESTLING….. LEARN TO SKATE/ROLLERBLADE….. LEGO ENGINEERING….. INDOOR SOCCER CLASS…… GYMNASTICS/DANCE/CHEER…. KITCHEN CREATIONS…. HOME ALONE CLASS….. BABYSITTING CLASS

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

11/7, 11/9-10 ~ Parent/Teacher Conferences

11/7-11/11 ~ Book Fair

11/15 ~ PTC Meeting @ 7pm

11/18 ~ Popcorn/Spirit Friday

11/22 ~ JET’S Pizza Night

11/23-25 ~ THANKSGIVING BREAK

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg

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The annual Alward Walk-a-Thon was a huge success! We raised nearly $10,000 to buy books for our library and classrooms; and we had a ton of fun. Students walked, danced, and jogged with their friends while parents, grandparents, and other Alward Community Members cheered them on and took pictures.

For more pictures, please see our new Alward Facebook Page and next week’s Alward Blog Post, where we will list the names of book winners, pizza party winners, and other prize winners.

Every student who walked today received a gift certificate to Culver’s and to Hudsonville Lanes. A big thank you to those local businesses who donated to our walk-a-thon!

GIRLS ON THE RUN……. Believe it or not, it is that time again. Time to sign up for Girls on the Run!! This is an amazing program for girls in grades 3-5. Alward had been fortunate enough to participate in this program for few years now. Please read the attached flyer with all of the details. NOTE… Registration opens NOVEMBER 1st and closes on NOVEMBER 30. If you have a daughter in grades 3-5 they will also be bringing information home. gotr-2017-info-flyer

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. (Nothing coming up right now)

LIBRARY NEWS……… PIZZA HUT BOOK IT! PROGRAM……..We have kicked off our Pizza Hut Book It! Program once again! The Book It! Program is all about turning kids who read because they have to, into kids who read because they WANT to. Through Book It!, your child has the opportunity to earn a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut by filling out the calendar that was sent home, and by meeting the monthly reading goals that were set. Return this calendar to the library at the end of the month to receive this certificate. There is no purchase necessary. HAPPY READING!

P.E. NEWS…….HUDSONVILLE TURKEY TROT 2016!!!….TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25. There will be LATE registrations at the event. Race starts at 5pm, gates open at 4:30pm. Turkey Trot takes place at Eagle Stadium at the Baldwin Street Middle School campus.

PTC NEWS….. MOTHER/SON EVENT @ REBOUNDERZ…… will be held on Thursday, October 27. Please see the attached flyer with details. It is also the REGISTRATION form! REGISTRATION DEADLINE is MONDAY, OCTOBER 24!! mother-son-even-2016

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID BOOK PRE-ORDER…….Our fall book fair is coming soon! We have ONE book that will be available as a Pre-Order. It is Diary of a Wimpy Kid Double Down. I am attaching the Pre-Order slip. ALL PRE-ORDERS MUST BE TURNED IN BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24! Pre-Orders MUST be PAID for when the slips are turned in. The book will be released on November 1st and we should expect to take delivery 5-7 days after the release date. The cost of the book is $8.99 and with tax it totals $9.53. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to “Alward Elementary”. wimpy-kid-pre-order

BOOKANEER FALL BOOK FAIR…….is coming up NOVEMBER 7-11! The Book Fair will be open on Monday/Wednesday, 11/7 and 11/9 from 5:30p to 7:45p during Parent/Teacher Conferences. We will be doing a classroom change war to raise money for children less fortunate who could not otherwise afford new books. As an incentive to bring in that change, the winning class will get to keep their money to purchase new books for their classroom!! The change war begins on Monday, October 24 and goes through Friday, November 4. Bring in those coins Mateys!! Arrrrrghhhhh

COMMUNITY NEWS……….COMMUNITY HARVEST FESTIVAL IN JENISON…….On Sunday, October 23, 2016, Georgetown United Methodist Church invites all community families to a Harvest Festival. There will be seasonal activities, games, prizes, and snacks! Costumes are welcome (but no gore or scary costumes, please!). This event is free and open to the entire community. Harvest Festival is sponsored by the GUM Church Nex-Gen Ministries. GUM Church is located at 2766 Baldwin Street in Jenison, at the southeast corner of Baldwin and 28th Street. For more info, visit www.GUMonline.org or call 616-669-0730

PUMPKIN PALOOZA……… You’re invited to join us for a free family event on October 29 from 1-3pm at Jamestown Lower Elementary. Bring your family, friends and neighbors for carnival games, costume contest, donuts, cider and of course, lots of candy!

JOIN THE FUN AT BIBLE CLUB…….Enjoy a Bible story, songs, prizes and more! Bible Club Ministries of Western Michigan offers a free after school Bible Club to elementary students. Clubs are held once a week after school (except for Park Elementary *See below) Enrollment forms are available outside of the office or you may contact Bible Club at (616) 457-3840 or bcmintwm@sbcglobal.net. BCM’s website is bcmwm.org. Here is the day/time and location for Bible Club at Alward……. Tuesdays, 3:45-4:45 in Mr. Karel’s room beginning Oct. 11; grades 1-5. You may join at any time……. here is a permission slip as well…… bibleclub

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered…. SWIM/FITNESS….. BOYS WRESTLING….. LEARN TO SKATE/ROLLERBLADE….. LEGO ENGINEERING….. INDOOR SOCCER CLASS…… GYMNASTICS/DANCE/CHEER…. KITCHEN CREATIONS…. HOME ALONE CLASS….. BABYSITTING CLASS

MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS LACROSSE…….is officially coming to Hudsonville this Spring and we would love to have you join us! Not sure about playing yet? We’re hosting a learn-to-play clinic where you can see what it’s all about, & learn all the basic skills of girls lacrosse!

Who: Girls in gades 5 – 8

When: October 26 & November 2

Time:6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location: Freshman Campus turf field

What to Bring: Water Bottle & mouth guard.

(Stick & Goggles recommended, but not required as we’ll have extra if needed)

Cost: $25Register by visiting hudsonvillepublicschools.org and click on the Community Education link. Registrations for joining a middle school team will open in February at HudsLax.com.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

10/25 ~ Hudsonville Turkey Trot

10/27 ~ Mother/Son Event @ Rebounderz

10/28 ~ Popcorn/Spirit Friday

10/31 ~ Halloween Parties

11/4 ~EARLY RELEASE @ 12:15pm

11/7, 11/9-10 ~ Parent/Teacher Conferences

11/7-11/11 ~ Book Fair

11/15 ~ PTC Meeting @ 7pm

11/18 ~ Popcorn/Spirit Friday

11/22 ~ JET’S Pizza Night

11/23-25 ~ THANKSGIVING BREAK

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg

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OFFICE NEWS…….. Although it does not feel like fall 100% of the time, it is here and we are moving to cooler weather. Along with the cooler weather, comes the fall activities. These activities include Fall Parties and the Halloween Parade on October 31, schedule for parent teacher conferences (look for a scheduling note to come home on Monday, October 10), and this weekend’s upcoming Hudsonville Education Foundation Fun Fest! The HEF provides grants to teachers within the district, allowing them to think outside the box and do great things with our students. The Fun Fest is a fundraiser to support this foundation.

As one of the main attractions and fundraisers for the HEF Fun Fest , there is a DUNK tank from 5:00-6:30 pm outside the football stadium, prior to the homecoming game. Our own Mr. Matt, along with other celebreties, will be in the dunk tanks. Please view the following two promotional YOUTUBE videos, and then come out and support the HEF by either throwing a ball yourself, or contributing money to a “relief pitcher” who may be standing by to do the job for you. Have a great weekend. Mrs. Moore

EARLY RELEASE……NEXT FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14… Please make sure to put this on your calendars. Students will be released from school at 12:15. PLEASE remember, we do NOT serve hot lunch on Early Release days. If your student needs a lunch on this day, he/she will be able to order a SACK lunch. Thank you.

COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE & DEDICATION CEREMONY FOR SOUTH ELEMENTARY……. The community is invited to attend an open house to tour South Elementary (4900 40th Avenue) on October 10 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Guided tours will be available, or guests are welcome to walk through the spectacular spaces at their leisure. There will be a dedication ceremony at 6:00 p.m

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. Here are the first few important dates for you…..

OCTOBER 13…… Greenfield Village Field Trip…. notes will be coming home on Monday. Here is a little of the information…. leaving school @ 7am (be at school by 6:45) and returning @7pm. Payment is DUE by TUESDAY, OCTOBER 12, next Tuesday.

LIBRARY NEWS……… PIZZA HUT BOOK IT! PROGRAM……..We have kicked off our Pizza Hut Book It! Program once again! The Book It! Program is all about turning kids who read because they have to, into kids who read because they WANT to. Through Book It!, your child has the opportunity to earn a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza from Pizza Hut by filling out the calendar that was sent home, and by meeting the monthly reading goals that were set. Return this calendar to the library at the end of the month to receive this certificate. There is no purchase necessary. HAPPY READING!

P.E. NEWS…….HUDSONVILLE TURKEY TROT 2016!!!….TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25. Registrations were due today, but there will be LATE registrations at the event. Race starts at 5pm, gates open at 4:30pm. Turkey Trot takes place at Eagle Stadium at the Baldwin Street Middle School campus.

PTC NEWS….. WALK~A~THON…… Fundraising envelopes should have come home with your student/s by now. This is our ONLY fundraiser for Alward and what makes it so great is that ALL of the money comes straight back to Alward!! Please help to show your support by trying to raise $25 per student. We know this may not be possible for everyone and we do understand this. All students will be able to participate in the Walk~A~Thon whether they raised money or not. Here are walk times by grade…. 9:15 to 10 for 2nd and 3rd grade; 10:15 to 11 for Kindergarten and 1st; 1 to 1:45 for 4th and 5th. We do encourage parents to come and watch/participate with their student. : )

UKULELES…….THANK YOU… THANK YOU… THANK YOU!!! Due to your support Alward Parents, we are able to purchase the Ukuleles that were requested from Miss Baker, our music teacher. With out supportive families we would not be able to do this, so we cannot thank you enough. You are amazing!!

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID BOOK PRE-ORDER…….Our fall book fair is coming soon! We have ONE book that will be available as a Pre-Order. It is Diary of a Wimpy Kid Double Down. I am attaching the Pre-Order slip. ALL PRE-ORDERS MUST BE TURNED IN BY WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24! Pre-Orders MUST be PAID for when the slips are turned in. The book will be released on November 1st and we should expect to take delivery 5-7 days after the release date. The cost of the book is $8.99 and with tax it totals $9.53. If you are writing a check, please make it payable to “Alward Elementary”. wimpy-kid-pre-order

BOX TOP COMPETITION…… Notes should have come home today with students sharing information about our BOX TOPS Contest. The fall contest will run through OCTOBER 21. Please send your box tops in a bag or envelope, counted and labeled with a teacher name. The winning classroom will get donuts!!

COMMUNITY NEWS………. GBC FALL CRAFT SHOW……..Saturday, October 15, 2016 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Our Third Annual Craft Show! Don’t miss this unique craft show with no entry charge, free refreshments, and a free “silent auction” – get a ticket just for attending and check out our website to find out how to get more tickets. Georgetown Bible Church, 4114 Baldwin St. Hudsonville, MI 49426. event website: georgetownbiblechurch.com/craftshowinformation

URBAN HAY DAY…….Saturday, October 15 from 11am to 4pm. Urban Hay Day will be located at Gemmen’s Home and Hardware AND Farmers Co-op. This is a great day of fun-filled activities for the entire family. There will be hayrides, games, pumpkin carving contests… all sorts of fall fun!! Please visit the website for more details….. www.UrbanHayDay.com

COMMUNITY HARVEST FESTIVAL IN JENISON……. On Sunday, October 23, 2016, Georgetown United Methodist Church invites all community families to a Harvest Festival. There will be seasonal activities, games, prizes, and snacks! Costumes are welcome (but no gore or scary costumes, please!). This event is free and open to the entire community. Harvest Festival is sponsored by the GUM Church Nex-Gen Ministries. GUM Church is located at 2766 Baldwin Street in Jenison, at the southeast corner of Baldwin and 28th Street. For more info, visit www.GUMonline.org or call 616-669-0730

PUMPKIN PALOOZA……… You’re invited to join us for a free family event on October 29 from 1-3pm at Jamestown Lower Elementary. Bring your family, friends and neighbors for carnival games, costume contest, donuts, cider and of course, lots of candy!

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered….INDOOR SOCCER CLASSES….. LEGO CLASSES….. LEARN TO SKATE/ROLLERBLADE…… SWIM/FITNESS INFO….GYMNASTICS/DANCE/CHEER.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

10/13 ~ 5th Grade Field Trip to Greenfield Village

10/14 ~ EARLY RELEASE @ 12:15

10/18 ~ Jet’s Pizza Night

10/19 ~ PICTURE RETAKES

10/21 ~ Alward WALK-A-THON

10/25 ~ Hudsonville Turkey Trot

10/28 ~ Popcorn/Spirit Friday

10/31 ~ Halloween Parties

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg

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The first two weeks of school have already passed, and it seems as though we never left. The students and staff are doing a fantastic job getting back into the swing of things, and adjusting to a daily routine. Considering the steamy temperatures, the condensed playground area, the new buzz in system, and the new traffic flow, the ease with which everyone is adjusting is remarkable. I would say that, based on what I have seen from the entire Alward community, it is going to be a great year! Thank you in advance for your continued support, cooperation, flexibility, and patience.

With that said, there are some VERY IMPORTANT drop off and pick up issues that I need to bring to everyone’s attention for the safety and well being of our students. Please read the below procedures and follow them each time that you come to Alward. Our students’ safety DEPENDS on it.

Bus Loop ….is for BUSES and staff parking ONLY, regardless of the time of drop off or pick up. Parents may not drop or pick up students in or near the bus loop. They MUST go to the west parking lot and loop.

Student Drop Off ……

Parents of KindergartenStudents need to park in a space in the parking lot area, and walk K students to the front entrance doors. PLEASE DO NOT park in the loop and walk your K child to the doors. It holds up traffic and creates potential accidents.

Parents of 1st – 5th grade students need to:

Pull as far around the circle drive as is possible BEFORE dropping off a child. PLEASE DO NOT pull in and park along the front the of building where the office is, or try to get close the 2nd grade entrance doors. This is causing major backups onto Port Sheldon, and creating issues for other cars when parents try to pull away to leave the parking lot. We realize that this means your child has to walk further, but in order to prevent accidents on busy Port Sheldon, this is very important. There is sidewalk all the way around the loop, so please pull as far forward as possible. OR

Park in a parking space in the center of the parking lot area and walk your student to the sidewalk. Please do not park in the lot and let your child cross the drop off loop alone, regardless of age.

Student Pick Up……..

Parents of KindergartenStudents need to park in a parking space in the parking lot area, and walk to the front entrance doors to pick up students from the K teachers. PEASE DO NOT park in the loop and walk to the doors to pick up your K student. It holds up traffic and creates potential accidents.

Parents of 1st – 5th grade students need to:

Pull as far around the circle drive as is possible and STAY IN YOUR CAR AND wait for your child to come to you. PLEASE DO NOT pull in and park along the front the of building where the office is, preventing other cars from pulling further into the lot. This is causing major backups onto Port Sheldon, and creating issues for other cars when parents try to pull away to leave the parking lot. OR

Park in a parking space in the center of the parking lot and walk to the sidewalk to meet your student. Please do not park in the lot and let your child cross the pick up loop alone, regardless of age.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS!

5th GRADE NEWS……… There will be a lot of special activities, events, and fundraisers this upcoming year. This year will fly by with all of the “extras” that the 5th graders do, so cherish these moments -even when you are selling butter braids for 5th grade camp. Miss Doni and I will do our best to keep a list of dates/activities/etc. listed here and on the blog calendar that you may refer to and keep track of. Here are the first few important dates for you…..

SEPTEMBER 20….. Butter Braid Fundraiser Orders & Money are DUE!!

OCTOBER 5 ….. Fundraiser PICK UP DAY.. at 2pm

OCTOBER 13…… Greenfield Village Fieldtrip (more information will be coming soon)

P.E. NEWS……. Mark your calendars…… TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 is the date set for the annual HUDSONVILLE TURKEY TROT!!! You will not want to miss out on this! Please watch your student’s backpack as each student will be bringing home more information in regard to this fun, district-wide activity!!

PTC NEWS….. Please watch closely in the next few weeks for information to come home in regard to Alward’s ONE big fundraiser. It is our annual WALK-A-THON. This year it will be held on Friday, October 21. It is such a great way to raise money for Alward, and the best part is that ALL the money raised stays right here. Get your walking shoes ready!!

COMMUNITY NEWS………. SURVIVING A CRASH LANDING: STORIES OF RESILIENCE…… Thursday, September 22 @ 6:30pm. Please read the attached flyer with the information. bryo-rally-final

PUT A LID ON IT!!!…..Please read the attached flyer. This is a GREAT program being offered through Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Grand Rapids Griffins. put-a-lid-on-it

HERITAGE CHRISTIAN FALL CLOTHING SALE….The Heritage Christian School Fall Children’s Clothing Sale will be held on Saturday, October 1 from 9:00 – 12:00. Items include clothing for infants to teens, winter coats/gear, outdoor/indoor toys, books, games, shoes, baby equipment, maternity, and more. Delicious baked goods are also for sale! Located in the gym at Heritage Christian at 6340 Autumn Dr., Hudsonville. Hope to see you there!

URBAN HAY DAY…….Saturday, October 15 from 11am to 4pm. Urban Hay Day will be located at Gemmen’s Home and Hardware AND Farmers Co-op. This is a great day of fun-filled activities for the entire family. There will be hayrides, games, pumpkin carving contests… all sorts of fall fun!! Please visit the website for more details….. www.UrbanHayDay.com

COMMUNITY ED NEWS……… Hudsonville Community Education has many offerings for your kids. For more information or to register, please visit www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org or call Rebecca at 669-7747, ext. #3. Here are some of the activities that are currently being offered…. INDOOR SOCCER CLASSES….. LEGO CLASSES….. LEARN TO SKATE/ROLLERBLADE…… SWIM/FITNESS INFO….GYMNASTICS/DANCE/CHEER.

UPCOMING EVENTS…..

9/20 ~ Jet’s Pizza Night and PTC Meeting @ 7pm

10/3 ~ Fire Safety for K-Flietstra

10/4 ~ Fire Safety for K-LePard/LaLonde and 4th Grade

10/13 ~ 5th Grade Field Trip to Greenfield Village

10/18 ~ Jet’s Pizza Night

10/19 ~ PICTURE RETAKES

10/21 ~ Alward WALK-A-THON

10/25 ~ Hudsonville Turkey Trot

10/28 ~ Popcorn/Spirit Friday

10/31 ~ Halloween Parties

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Nurenberg

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